1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of magnetic resonance imaging, more specifically to the use of polymers or polymers in combination with contrast agents and/or gases as contrast media for magnetic resonance imaging.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a variety of imaging techniques that have been used to diagnose disease in humans. One of the first imaging techniques employed was X-rays. In X-rays, the images produced of the patients' body reflect the different densities of body structures. To improve the diagnostic utility of this imaging technique, contrast agents are employed to increase the density between various structures, such as between the gastrointestinal tract and its surrounding tissues. Barium and iodinated contrast media, for example, are used extensively for X-ray gastrointestinal studies to visualize the esophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum. Likewise, these contrast agents are used for X-ray computed tomographic studies to improve visualization of the gastrointestinal tract and to provide, for example, a contrast between the tract and the structures adjacent to it, such as the vessels or lymph nodes. Such gastrointestinal contrast agents permit one to increase the density inside the esophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum, and allow differentiation of the gastrointestinal system from surrounding structures.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a relatively new imaging technique which, unlike X-rays, does not utilize ionizing radiation. Like computed tomography, MRI can make cross-sectional images of the body, however MRI has the additional advantage of being able to make images in any scan plane (i.e., axial, coronal, sagittal or orthogonal). Unfortunately, the full utility of MRI as a diagnostic modality for the body, particularly in the abdominal and pelvic region, is hampered by the lack of an effective gastrointestinal contrast agent. Without such an agent, it is often difficult using MRI to differentiate the intestines from, for example, adjacent soft tissues and lymph nodes. If better contrast agents were available, the overall usefulness of MRI as an imaging agent would improve, and the diagnostic accuracy of this modality in the gastrointestinal region would be greatly enhanced.
MRI employs a magnetic field, radiofrequency energy and magnetic field gradients to make images of the body. The contrast or signal intensity differences between tissues mainly reflect the T1 and T2 relaxation values and the proton density (effectively, the free water content) of the tissues. In changing the signal intensity in a region of a patient by the use of a contrast medium, several possible approaches are available. For example, a contrast medium could be designed to change either the T1, the T2 or the proton density.
A paramagnetic contrast agent such as Gd-DTPA causes longitudinal relaxation to shorten T1. This increases the signal intensity on T1-weighted images. A superparamagnetic contrast agent such as ferrites works predominantly on transverse relaxation causing a shortening of T2 and decreasing signal intensity on T2-weighted images. A contrast agent could also work by altering the proton density, specifically by decreasing the amount of free water available that gives rise to the signal intensity.
Agents that increase the signal intensity from the lumen compared to the native contents are termed positive contrast agents. A number of these have been examined as contrast agents for MRI. These include fats and oils (Newhouse et al., Radiology, 142(P):246 (1982)), which increase signal as a result of their short T1, long T2 and high intrinsic proton density, as well as various paramagnetic agents that increase signal by decreasing the T1 of water protons. Examples of such paramagnetic agents include Gd-DTPA (Kornmesser et al., Magn. Reson. Imaging, 6:124 (1988), and Laniado et al., AJR, 150:817 (1988)), Gd-DOTA (Hahn et al. Magn. Reson. Imaging, 6:78 (1988)), Gd-oxalate (Runge, V. M. et al., Radiology, 147:789 (1983)), Cr-EDTA (Rungs, V. M. et al., Physiol. Chem. Phys. Med. NMR, 16:113 (1984)), Cr-Tris-acetylacetonate (Clanton et al., Radiology, 149:238 (1983)), ferric chloride (Young et al., CT, 5:543 (1981)), ferrous gluconate (Clanton et al., Radiology, 153:159 (1984)), ferric ammonium citrate and ferrous sulfate (Wesbey et al., Radiology, 149:175 (1983) and Tscholakoff et al., AJR, 148:703 (1987)) as well as iron complexes (Wesbey et al., Magn. Reson. Imaging, 3:57 (1985) and Williams et al., Radiology, 161:315 (1986)).
Alternatively, agents that decrease the signal intensity from the lumen are termed negative contrast agents. Examples include particulate iron oxides (Hahn et al., Radiology, 164:37 (1987), Widder et al., AJR, 149:839 (1987)) which decrease signal via T2 shortening, as well as gas-evolving materials (Weinreb et al., J. Comput. Assist. Tomogr., 8:835 (1984)) and perfluorocarbons (Mattrey et al., AJR, 148:1259 (1987)) which act through changes in the proton density. It should be recognized that all paramagnetic substances at sufficiently high concentrations can also result in a decrease in signal intensity via T2 shortening.
The existing MRI contrast agents all suffer from a number of limitations when employed as oral gastrointestinal agents. Positive contrast agents increase the image noise arising from intrinsic peristaltic motions and motions imposed via respiration or cardiovascular action. Positive contrast agents such as Gd-DTPA are subject to the further complication that the signal intensity depends upon the concentration of the agent as well as the pulse sequence used. Absorption of contrast agent from the gastrointestinal tract complicates interpretation of the images, particularly in the distal portion of the small intestine, unless sufficiently high concentrations of the paramagnetic species are used (Kornmesser et al., Magn. Reson. Imaging, 6:124 (1988)). Negative contrast agents by comparison are less sensitive to variation in pulse sequence and provide more consistent contrast. However at high concentrations, particulates such as ferrites can cause magnetic susceptibility artifacts which are particularly evident in the colon where the absorption of intestinal fluid occurs and the superparamagnetic material may be concentrated. Negative contrast agents typically exhibit superior contrast to fat, however on T1-weighted images, positive contrast agents exhibit superior contrast versus normal tissue. Since most pathological tissues exhibit longer T1 and T2 than normal tissue, they will appear dark on T1-weighted and bright on T2-weighted images. This would indicate that an ideal contrast agent should appear bright on T1-weighted images and dark on T2-weighted images. None of the currently available MRI contrast media for use with the gastrointestinal tract meet these dual criteria.
Toxicity is another problem with the existing contrast agents. With any drug there is some toxicity, the toxicity generally being dose related. With the ferrites there are often symptoms of nausea after oral administration, as well as flatulence and a transient rise in serum iron. The paramagnetic contrast agent Gd-DTPA is an organometallic complex of gadolinium coupled with the complexing agent diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid. Without coupling, the free gadolinium ion is highly toxic. The peculiarities of the gastrointestinal tract, wherein the stomach secretes acids and the intestines release alkalines, raise the possibility of decoupling and separation of the free gadolinium from the complex as a result of these changes in pH during gastrointestinal use. Certainly, minimizing the dose of either gastrointestinal contrast agent, whether paramagnetic or superparamagnetic, is important for minimizing any potential toxic effects.
New and/or better contrast agents useful in magnetic resonance imaging, particularly in the imaging of the gastrointestinal tract but also in the imaging of other regions of the body such as through the vasculature, are needed. The present invention is directed to this important end.